Vending machine



J. c. QUINTIN lVENDING MACHIE Nov. .24I 1925. 1,563,109

med Dec. 2s, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 5 0703/26. til/him, IN VEN TOR. I

BY M

ATToRN Y Nov.i 24l 1925. 1,563,109

J. C. QUINTIN VENDING MACHINE Filed De@ 23. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5g 517x255; l I

IN V EN TOR.

' BWL? TTORN Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEf :rc1-IN c. QUINTIN, or Annali/rana, cnnrroanra, Assrenon To HARRY WooLLnN,

or Los antennas. canrronlvra.

VENDNG MACHINE.

Application led December 23, 1924. Serial No. 757,664.

To @ZZ whom z'z may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN C. QUIN'rrN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Alhambra, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful improvements' in Vending Machines, of which the following is a description.

The present invention relates to coin operated vending machines and has for its principal object the provision of a simple and inevpensive multiple vending machine suitable for five-cent packages of gum.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which is readily accessible and of extreme mechanical simplicity.

Another Object of the invention is to provide a machine of such simple and inexpensive characteristics that every storekeeper can afford to have at least one machine conveniently located to enable customers to obtain a package of gum of their selection without loss of time upon the part of the customer or merchant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine adapted for operation by a given coin only and which will automatically detect any coin of other denomination and be inoperable by such coin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine of such construction that deposited coins may be removed and the machine replenished with gum easily and expediently.

Still another object of the invention is to provide simple and dependable package ejecting means.

It will be understood, in the consideration of the invention that multiple vending 1nachines of usual construction require a plurality of push rods, or other manually operable means, one for each vending unit, and multiple vending machines are therefore quite costly. It is therefore another object of the invention to provide a multiple ma* chine in which only one manually operable lever, or the like, is required; there being means provided whereby the particular slot into which the coin is placed predetermines the, unit which will be caused to eject a portion of its contents.

Still other objects and advantages of my invention will appear hereinafter and will be better understood because of the in which they appear.

l have illustrated by the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my `invention.

In the said drawings: Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of .said embodiment.

`Figure 2 a view in side elevation of the lower part of the machine.

Figure 3 is an analogous view as seen from the side opposed to that shown in Fig. 2.

Figure is aview in section seen on a line 4 4- of Fig. 3. Figure I5 is a plan view of a part of the machine hereinafter known as the base unit. Figure G is a view in vertical section, on a larger scale, of the lower part of the machine," showing particularly the coin controlled ejccting mechanism in normal position. Figure 7 is a view of the parts order shown in Fig. 6 as they appear inthe act of ejecting an article from the machine. Figure 8 is a similar view showing the said parts in position after having Aejected the article and about to return to normal position. Figure 9 is a view in sectionv on the line 9 1) of Fig. 1. Figure 10 is a view in bottom elevation of the upper part or casing of the machine as it appears apart from the hase unit.

ln carrying out my invention in the elnbodiment illustrated I employ a vertical casing or package magazine 10, which is divided by a plurality of vertical parallel partitions 11, into `a corresponding number of compartments 12. The magazine may be of suitable height and is of course suitably providedwith a top closure (not shown). It is intended that each compartment shall contain only one kind or brand of package 14. The magazine, in its simplest embodi ment, as shown, is of rectangular box form and includes two sidewalls 15, a rear wall' 1G, a front wall 17, and a bottom package retaining wall 18; the latter being disposed on a substantially horizontal plane. Each column of packages is supported by the underlying portion of the bottom wall 18. In conformance with a salient feature of the invention, the bottom wall is provided with a plurality of elongated openings 19, -one for each column of packages, and the lowermost package of each column partially covers the correspondingopening and is freely slid-able along the said bottom wall.

The. front wall is removable and is provided with side flanges 20 whereby it lits frictionally on the casing by frictionally engaging the side walls. The extreme lower end of the removable front wall is provided with a transverse integral bearing sleeve through which a shaft 23 extends. One end of the shaft is bent to leave a short portion 245; paralleling` the corresponding,` sid-e wall. 'lhe other end of the shaft is bent as at and provides a long` portion 2G in parallel relation to the otherv site wall. "he lower portions of the side walls and partitions respectively, as at and respectively extend forwardly at a slight angle. di hen the removable front wall is in position its lower end coacts with the extensions 2T and 2S t proviee a plurality of separate rectangular openines 29. n transverse rod BO extends from one side wall to the other just above said ol'ienings and for each openinthere provided a depending gate 31 hungl on said rod. lt will be apparent now that when a lowermost package is being,` ejected from the corresponding compartn'ient it will cause the corresponding gate to be moved outwardly and upwardly to the position indicated in Fig. T. Because of the relative position of the extensions such as 27 and 28, the gates cannot be raised or operated from the outside.

rlhe side walls each are provided with lower extensions of increasingv width downwardly, and accordingly the rear wall is inclined as at 33. A front inclined apron 3 is provided, correspendingl with the rear wall incline, and said apron is provided with a transversely extending aperture '.ihe casing` just described is adapted to stand bj.' itself the lower extended portions of the walls providing a false hollow base or lstandard 'lhere is also provided the unit shown in 5, which unit is adapted to Sit into the ralse base of the magazine casing. Said unit includes a suitably shaped box or casing` 3o, open at the top end only and providing a receptacle for coins. Said casingv is provided with front and rear slopingv walls 51'?" and 58 respectively.

lliTall 8T connects with an upper top wail or coin slide #l-(l, which lioins therewith at an angle of substantially degrees, their-byY `giving a slight inward and downward pitch to canso the coins to slide forward by gravity. fipaced parallel ribs ell are provided on the wall lll to divide it into a plnralitj.v of individual coin "slides, one for each of ilu'. compartments provided by the magazine. Il. plate or bar 43 is extended over the ribs to form an upper boundary for the individual coin slides or chutes. Each chute is provided with an aperture lll passing through m11 4l), The. apertures are of such size that if a coin smaller than that for which the machine is intended, is introduced to the chute it will fall through the aperture before it reaches a point where it may be caused to operate the machine.

F or each of the compartments which the magazine provides there is provided an individual coin-operated package ejector, indicated generally by the numeral l5 and shown particularly in Figs. 5 and (3. l, will now describe the construction vof an individual ejector. fr single transverse shaft lG is included and one shaft will serve for one or many ejectors inasmuch as they are all suitably disposed along; said shaft. ri`he shaft is mounteiL to rock in the base unit and extends through a side yall thereof as at l? to receive a handle or lever 48. in ejector includes an arm which is bent as at 5l) to form a substantially right angle.

'Ehe arm is provided with an integral ug 5l whereby it is lined to the shaft; a set rscrew serving such purpose. 'lhe indi- "vidual ejector also includes a forked arm Sil which loosely mounted on a shaft so that when the shaft is rocked the forked arm may remain stationary. The forked arm is continued at vthe rear end to provide an ejectinT lug; 54 which is so positioned that it normally extends through the slot in the bottom wall of the magazine and abuts the lowermost package of gum. The slot will limit the forward and rea 'ward movenient of the forked arm. The other end of the forked arin terminates in two spaced ends 5G and 57 which are normally dispos-ed immediately below the corresponding coin chute and are capable of receiving' and holdingl a coin, such as a lire-eent-piece.

@ne end, 5S, of the lined arm abuts the closed end portion of the forked arm and acts thereby to return it to normal position, but the said fixed arm is incapable of `rocking; the fori-:cd lever forward except when a coin rests on the said forked lever and the other end of the fixed arm terminates as at 59 in such position that a coin may slide from the chute, onto the forked lever and below the said end of the fixed lever.

Through the medium of the fiXed arms the forked arms are all normally held in the position shown in Fig. 6, by means of a spring GS, which acts to hold the shaft 4:6. rl`he spring; is suitably attached at one end to one of the side walls of the base unit and the other end of the springT is hooked over a stud (if), which threads into the shaft 4:6. A. stop 60 protrudes from a side wall against which stop the stud will normally be held by the spring; said stop thus limiting the return of the shaft beyond the normal predetermined position necessary to keep the parts in the position shown in Fig. 6.

In the application and operation of the machine the normal position of the parts is that shown in Fig. 6.

The brand of gum contained in each compartment is suitably designated by means not shown and when it is desired to purchase a package of gum of a given brand a coin is placed in the coin chute immediately below the column containing said brand. The correct denomination of coin will find its way onto the coin receiving end of the forked lever and will come t reet thereon. Having deposited the coin the vendee will proceed to pull the operating lever forward, thus rocking all ofthe fixed levers forwardly. The weight of the packages of gum in each compartment will act to hold each of the forked levers against movement. However,

` when the fixed lever, below which the coin has been deposited5 comes into abutment with the coin the latter will then act as a physical connection between the two levers as shown particularly in Fig. 7. Therefore, the ejecting end of the forked lever which contains the coin will be moved positively forward. As a result the lowermost package, with which the ejecting end of the lever is in practical abutment, is moved forward under the gate.` The gate is swung outwardly and upwardly as shown and rests on the partially ejected package. The vendee may now withdraw the partially ejected package of gum. Immediately said package is withdrawn the next package of gum will drop into place. Just before the vendee withdraws the gum he will release the operating lever and the spring 68 will return the parts to original position; the returnof the shaft being limited by a stop 60. To recover the coins collected in the base unit the padlock 6l is removed. The looped end 62 of shaft may be then advanced to spring the transverse rod. When the padlock is removed the magazine unit maybe lifted from the base. rlfhe front wall or plate may be removed to gain access to the compartment. y

F rom the foregoing it will be apparent that l have provided a very simple and inexpensive and dependable multiple vending machine, adapted to be built in a variety ofisizes to vend any and all types of uniformly shaped packages, and7 While l have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention l do not limit myself to any specific construction or arrangement of parts, and l may employ any construction or arrangement of parts without enlarging` thescope of my invention, within the appended claims.

What l claim as new and patentable is:

l. In a vending machine for a coin of a given denominating, front and rear walls, end walls, a bottom wall and a top wall, all coacting to provide an enclosed coin receiving chamber; the top wall being adapted to support a plurality of stacks of articles to be vended, a rock shaft extending transversely from one end of the wall to the other through said chamber. forked arms spaced along said shaft and loosely mounted thereon; the shaft extending transversely through a part of the forked portion of each arm; the closed end of each forked arm being disposed rearwardly of the shaft and terminating in an ejecting lug, aplurality of fixed arms carried by the shaft; one for each fork and being disposed within the forked part thereof; each fixed arm having` a rearward` extent arranged to abut the closed end of the forked arm adjacent the lug to hold the forked arm in normal position; each fixed arm having a forward extent adapted to move through the forked end of the forked arm without moving same7 a coin chute for each arm extending inwardly and downwardly from the front wall and arranged to discharge a coin flat-wise on the forked end of the arm in such position as to be abutted by the fixed arm when the shaft is rocked forwardly; the forward extent of the fixed arm being spaced above the corresponding part of the forked arm when the rear extent is abutting the rear end ofsaid forked arm, and a handle attached to the rock shaft externally of the chamber walls; the normal position of the parts being such that slight forward movement of the rock shaft will result in a coin resting on a forked end being so inclined as to slide off by gravity when free to do so.

2. A vending machine as in claim l and further including means for yieldahly holding said shaft in normal position whereby the forked arm is held in coin receiving position by virtue of the rear extent of the fixed arm being` in Contact with the corresponding part of the forked arm.

JOHN C. QUINTIN. 

